All The Lies We Told Ourselves

15 - The Election

Celestine
**********
April 3rd, Tuesday

The city council hall was filled wall to wall with people. Countless cameras and microphones were turned towards me, the flashing lights painting me in a cold white light.

"Ms. Delgado." A voice rose from the crowd. A woman in a gray suit stood up with the microphone. "A few days ago you announced your plans to run for president, and yesterday, Levi Colbeck came forward with similar intentions. The Colbecks are known advocates for inclusive decision making when it comes to the outskirts. How would you respond to claims that the future of the district lies in its ability for cooperation?"

"I find it a noble belief, albeit an unrealistic one. With just the sabotage alone we saw a glimpse of the insurgents true objectives and I have no doubt they wouldn't think twice about a violent revolution. The only effective way to prevent that is to instill stricter safety measures."

The crowd jostled again, looking for the next person to stand up and ask a question.

"Do you admit then, as Chief Commander, that the current security measures of the District are insufficient, and if so, why hasn't the government worked to improve them?"

I had gone over possibly every type of question and claim before the press conference and it wasn't anything new. My father had given me the list of things to mention, what opinionated lines to draw and where, and Marcellus had advised me to hold my composure and appear determined. That had never been an issue for me.

"For more than fifty years, this city has thrived and existed without any significant safety issues pertaining to areas beyond the border wall. And that is by no means a coincidence." I said, taking a pause to let the message sink in. "That said, the situation has changed and unfortunately, the slow decision making we have put in place has not caught up to that. I aim to change that, make laws that truly work to benefit the citizens of our Great District, laws that don't drag behind when changes need to be made."

***

"You crushed it out there." Marcellus said and chuckled, when we were sitting in the car and heading home. "At this rate I'll be the presidential advisor in no time."
I stared out the window absent minded and followed the line of freshly budding cherry trees.
"You alright there, Celeste?" Marcel asked and hit me gently on the leg with a rolled up newspaper. I saw the black ruffled dress on the front page and snatched it out of his hands, spreading the paper out so it covered more than half the backseat.

T. Monroe gets iced by Chief Commander Delgado on concert opening night

Despite happening a week before, the magazines, especially the ones centered around celebrity gossip, still wrote about it, albeit not much anymore. The zoomed in photos of the dark bowling alley were barely deschiparable, but the texts didn't do me justice. They spun my name around in elaborate stories about jealousy and revenge. If only they knew it had been an accident. If only they knew how it really felt.

"You can talk to me, you know?" Marcel said, staring at my face like I had grown a second nose.
I used to feel like I could talk to him, back when his only job was to teach me things like history and geography. Now that he advised me in politics, I felt like even Marcel was monitoring me in some way, making sure nothing came before my presidential duties.
"I can't really." I said rather bluntly, referring to my mother. She glared at me through the rearview mirror and fixed her hair up with a golden clasp. I suppose vanity had always run in the family. Like mother like daughter.
"Oh, just stop it Celestine. You're just fine, there's no need to have an attitude."
"See? Apparently what I have is called an attitude."
"Precisely, and you ought to get rid of it lest you want it to be your demise."